1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system, method and computer-readable medium for navigating, selecting and playing media content on a media player device.
2. Introduction
The existing solution for playing a number of media files (typically audio files) in sequence is the playlist. This feature is included in most personal computer (PC) media players (e.g., Windows Media Player, iTunes, etc.) and most portable MP3 players (e.g., iPod, Zen, m500, etc.). Playlists are generally set up either manually or automatically by the system and may be generated in advance or on the fly.
However, each of these conventional options has problems for the user. Creating a playlist manually is time-consuming, and doing so on the fly involves frequent disruptive interactions. Creating a playlist in advance poses the risk that by the time the user gets around to listening to later parts of the playlist, he or she will no longer be interested in listening. Playlists generated automatically by a conventional device are rarely perfect and lead to the user having to skip songs frequently. A user who desires to listen to different types of music will have to find a way to switch to playing another playlist or set of tracks.